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By Dauda Marafa Goding*
6:00 P.M. EST December 21, 2010 | JALINGO, Nigeria (UMNS)
The Rev. Abenatus Hamman
UMNS web-only photos courtesy of Dauda Marafa Goding.
One hundred Nigerian Muslims and Christians came in peace to Taraba,
where they sought ways not only to coexist but also to work together
to improve the lives of their beleaguered fellow citizens of all
faiths.
The Rev. Abenatus Hamman put the groundbreaking nature of the
gathering in perspective when he noted that the religions have not been
known for working together in the past. “This cycle of fear … the fear
of coming close together” has kept Christians and Muslims at odds not
just in Nigeria but around the globe, he said.
Tensions between the religions have flared into violence in Nigeria
in recent years. While history cannot be overcome in three days, the
restorative justice seminar — held at the Christian Association of
Nigeria Secretariat, Jalingo, Taraba State, Nigeria — was a start.
The October gathering drew 30 Muslim and 70 Christian delegates as
well as other leaders interested in exploring how bridging the
religious gap could help Nigeria advance.
Differences in faith were mandated by God for the purpose of
teaching harmony rather than discord, according to Mallam Sani Sule
Sale, a Muslim participant at the gathering sponsored by the United
Methodist Board of Church and Society.
Mallam Sani Sule Sale
“If God had wanted us to belong to one faith, he had all the powers
to make us, (but) he created us differently for us to understand one
another, not to fight each other,” said Sale.
Working together
As director of the Taraba State Ministry of Information, he attended
because of his interest in “knowing beyond” his own religion and
learning, among other things, how the religions can coexist and work
together.
“I think (The United Methodist Church) is doing a very good job” of
helping tear down the historic barriers, he said. All religions and
denominations “should be doing the same thing: We need to bring
ourselves closer to each other,” he added.
While praising the groundwork laid by the United Methodists, he said
the task is too difficult for one denomination. “I know (The United
Methodist Church) cannot cover all aspects, so others should
complement.”
The idea of helping the nation thrive by attempting to rid it of
religious intolerance was the driving force of the three-day seminar,
officially titled “Conflict Resolution among Christians and Muslims in
Nigeria.”
Mariyam Edwin
United Methodist officials opened the seminar and pointed out that
poverty is a primary reason for the nation’s woes and that Nigeria’s
two major religions can work together to help all citizens.
For example, The United Methodist Church is strengthening programs
that focus on rural health, agricultural development, education and
leadership.
An effort toward peace
Alhaji Sani Abubakar Danladi, a Muslim, stressed the significance of
having this first seminar in Taraba State, where he is acting
governor.
The meeting was “a great manifestation of the peace posture of our state,” he said.
Continued teamwork between the two religions is a key to
advancement, he noted, stressing ongoing efforts in Taraba should
enable the faiths to “work hand-in-hand as partners and (share) similar
hopes and visions.”
The reactions of those gathered lived up to the hopes and prayers.
Focusing on what is shared rather than what makes the religions
different offered new hope to Mariyam Edwin, a United Methodist from
Nigeria’s Southern Annual (regional) Conference.
Zachariah Silver
She said Islam and Christianity always have had much in common, but “all that destroyed us is ignorance.”
An immediate impact of the seminar would be sending members of both
faiths out into the communities, where they could “educate the people
that we need each other to move, develop ourselves and our
communities.”
Retired professor Zachariah Silver, an Anglican, said he came to the
conference to find ways “to help my brothers and sisters in Nigeria”
work together to deal with the social and economic tumult.
As a result of the seminar, he said, he is — for the first time ever
— convinced that Muslims and Christians can peacefully meet
face-to-face and take the giant step of working together to solve
common problems and improve a nation in crisis.
Hope for all people
The location of the seminar instilled hope for all people of
faith, said Abdulhamid Isa Kushi: “See this is a Christian
headquarters, yet we Muslims freely prayed, slept and did all things
without any problem. … We need each other, based on lessons learned from
here.”
Abdulhamid Isa Kushi
An imam who works in a wide area of Nigeria recommended these
seminars be continued, with the message carried into forums for local
imams and pastors.
Others said that the seed of coexistence and what it can achieve should be planted in local schools and youth groups.
Hammam — the minister who said the cycle of fear is the historic
obstacle to coexistence — noted that both faiths can shift their
focuses in the wake of this seminar.
“Peace is the bedrock of the society,” said Hammam. “My coming to
the seminar made me know that the Muslims share similar things with us
Christians that we can exploit for peaceful co-existence.”
*Goding is a United Methodist communicator in Nigeria.
News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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